Finance Officer – Disbursements at African Union (AU)

Purpose of Job

To provide technical support managing and processing payments in accordance with African Union Financial Rules and Regulations.

Main Functions

• Research and recommend new developments on areas of improvement in budget matters and policies 
• Contribute in conducting analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the respective Unit/Division and AfCFTA’s internal use. 
• Assist in the following up on the activities of the division, including monitoring and evaluating progress made in line with a predefined strategic plan. 
• Responsible for the delegation and execution of defined research areas. 
• Participate in the organisation of relevant meetings, congresses and conferences with stakeholders. 
• Engage with relevant mid-level stakeholders and develop working relationships 
• Support the promotion of the activities of the Division including preparing leaflets, guidelines and fact sheets. 
• Assist in drafting reports and participate in the preparation of budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Unit/Division 
• Provide technical support to internal and external stakeholders

Specific Responsibilities

• Generate SAP ERP payment runs and be subject matter expert in the Financial Management Unit; 
• Ensure that all vendors (corporate and staff) data and bank details are accurately and completely updated in SAP;
• Reconcile transactions paid through a run to actual transfers made to the bank and submit the report to the relevant authority;
• Provide support in ensuring that there is the provision of professional services to vendors/suppliers in an efficient manner.
• Ensure that financial systems and controls in place within the office are adequate and operate all the time; 
• Provide support in maintaining and updating all the financial documents and ensure confidentiality of the financial information;
• Post/release parked transactions in SAP ERP and release the payment vouchers; 
• Maintains the SAP exchange rate table in SAP ERP on the first day of each month;
• Support the audit process and all other related assignments by ensuring data veracity for all transactions posted and vendor records maintained;
• Respond to internal/external audit observations and implement successfully audit recommendation;
• Process salaries after Payroll is run by Payroll Unit; 
• Process all payments (15 Series) in SAP after posting of 10 or 19 series;
• Process all payments from Travel (Tickets) and P&P from procurement and down payment to vendor;
• Perform Payment Run process in SAP to generate disbursement of funds;
• Systemic verification and processing of MM invoices and FI documents on timely basis;
• Ensure that all payments are authorized and legitimate supporting documentation are provided;
• Coordinate SAP enhancement projects under the Financial Management Unit of Directorate of Finance;
• Manage and improve the procedures and controls in relation to the timely processing of all payments;
• Monitor, analyze, and manage open items; monitors and reports status of open items to supervisor
• Supervise Assistant Accountants in the Financial Management Unit;
• Perform any other related duties that may be assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with 5 years of relevant work experience in a national or international organization.

Or

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in a national or international organization. 
• Experience with financial systems/finance module of enterprise resource planning (ERP) such as SAP or similar ERP is required.
• Hands-on experience in establishing financial management function in an international organization is highly desirable;
• Advance knowledge in the application of Microsoft Office Suite particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Required Skills

• Oral and written communication skills
• Interpersonal and leadership skills
• Planning and organizational skills
• Analytical skills
• Able to successfully manage ambiguity  
• Able to work across business units / geographies; cultural sensitivity
• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic) and  fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage